I recently obtained a used Eddie Current Zana Deux, and I would like to offer my thoughts on this headphone amp. All of my listening is being done with HD-650's purchased last fall. I've been using the 650's for about 4 years, and usually listen daily for a couple of hours.

Looks/Build/etc:
The ZD looks much better in person than I expected. It has an industrial look, but really pulls it off nicely. Mine is light grey on top, and black around the case, with many visible screw heads.  I expected my girlfriend to lose her shit about this going in our living room, but she didn't. It's physically large, gets tremendously hot, and has a rather large external power supply, but I am happy with its aesthetic. I enjoy that it looks like a well built tank... nothing against something designed like the WA7, but this goes the other way. An industrial powerhouse.

My Setup:
I am a music lover on a budget. Or at least, I try to be. If something offers quality for a decent price, I feel less guilty about owning it. As such, I tried a bunch of budget (<$300) DACs and eventually settled on two sources. One is the Aune T1, which is a cheap Chinese designed/built, single 6DJ8 tube buffered DAC/hp amp/pre-amp. The DAC uses a PCM1793 chip, and I found that replacing a bunch of capacitors in the unit helped improve the sound immensely. Panasonic FR's for the power, ELNA Silmic II's for some others. I also acquired a lot of NOS 6DJ8 family tubes, and mainly enjoy Philips Holland Miniwatt, Siemens/Halske CCa, or Telefunken CCa/E188CC's.

The other DAC I've been using is the Modi2 uber. I haven't tried it with the Wyrd (sitting at the post office for pickup today, so I may update later), but I find it sounds nicely detailed as is. Comparing the original Modi to the Aune T1, the T1 sounded better in every way. Comparing the Modi2 uber to the T1, things are much different. The Modi2 uber sounds precise, resolving, and not as warm/thick/coloured as the T1. I like both DACs, but I am a big fan of resolution... anyway those are my two sources. (And a third would be my turntable as well... but I haven't spent enough time to evaluate it with the ZD.)

Impressions:

- quick on its feet... sounds like a solid state amp, yet retains amazing tube induced euphonics
- treble has more energy than other amps I've used, but not fatiguing or bright, just very well-defined/crystal clear
- bass is well defined and punchy (maybe not as much impact as I've heard from tubes such as the Tung Sol 5998, but very controlled and present)
- amazing mid-range -- tube bloom/goo and overly-exaggerated warmth is gone... clarity, layering, euphonics and sonic depth is entirely present. The 650's are being driven to absolute perfection.

I have heard tube amps that are quick, but usually at the expense of overall quality (tonal weight, body, decay). Not so with the ZD... it's doing something phenomenal here; marring that solid state speed with everything that good tubes do well. It reminds me of the presentation of Telefunken tubes, combined with the ability of pinched waist 6922's to flesh out every ounce of euphony in every note. The music sounds extremely natural, layer upon layer, retaining a nice, linear resolution from top to bottom. Decay is superb with respect to resolution. Guitar, vocals, percussion... absolutely stunning. Micro-details that were smoothed over by tube bloom and warmth are now being resolved and expressed without sounding sterile in any way.

Compared to my other amp of choice, the WA2, I can simply say this: a layer of warm/gooey smoothness has been replaced with a very natural sounding resolution. The soundstage sounds deep, but also much more dimensional from front to back. The ZD is still very smooth sounding, and silky, yet it turns the resolution of the 650's up several notches in a different way than other amps. It fulfills everything the 650's do magically with tubes, while also eliminating all of the crap that usually comes with that tube magic.

I can talk for quite a while about all of the tubes I've rolled with the WA2; suffice to say, regardless of which combos I've tried, nothing offers the presentation the ZD is pulling off. Nothing. The WA2 is simply incapable of doing this... The WA7 did sound quicker to me with the HD-650's, and offered satisfying exaggerated bass, but overall, I was unhappy with most genres. I used the tube power supply as well, rolling in NOS Mullards, and still found the 6C45's seemed to be killing the "tube magic" with the 650's. I also briefly listened to a modded Bottlehead Mainline with the 650's, and really enjoyed the tonality (it had been modded with Mundorf caps), but sounded much like the WA2... goo and warmth in place of precision.

The 650's simply sound as good as they can with the ZD. I have never heard female vocals sound this good on these cans... they're resolved with crystal clarity, sending waves of tingling through my spine. I have also experienced many "holy eff" moments already, shocked by the natural beauty of this combo. I can also attest that it can be tear inducing; an emotional bond with my music has been created with the ZD.

Getting back to the two DACs... I much prefer the Modi 2 uber on music that is recorded/mastered well. Older stuff from the 70's sounds very nice. Newer stuff with poor dynamic range can get a bit jarring for me. Not the Modi 2's fault, but I do find that the T1 can mellow things out a bit. The T1 also doesn't turn the ZD into a big gooey mess either... it adds a slightly more laid-back sound, with less detailing. Not a terrible thing for "bad" music. I enjoy both DACs with the ZD, and plan on eventually upgrading to a reDACted.


Those are my thoughts for now. I hope that it helps anyone interested in the ZD. I will give further thoughts on using the HD-800's with the ZD, however those will be in a month or two, as I am really enamored just using the 650's right now. I can also give specifics with different genres, however I feel that what I mentioned above applies across the board. Cheers!